Escape
by godgirl1200
Summary: Not terrific at summaries, but the story's pretty good! Read and review. Flames allowed, but not recommended. Good reviews are very welcome. Read it!
1. Escape

**She's back! I'm gonna try my hand at a Hunger Games story. I would forget trying to read a summary if I knew I could just go on to the story and get the whole thing. So, shall we move on? This is a Rue/Thresh/Katniss story.**

**OH! Before I forget, I am not Suzanne Collins, I don't own the Hunger Games, the characters, or anything else except for the plot. **

**Here it is!**

**Chapter 1**

Rue POV

I opened my eyes and looked around. _This doesn't look a bit like I thought Heaven would look, _I thought to myself. _More like a Capitol machine, probably a hovercraft_. As I looked at this, I finally realized something. In order to be breathing and be in a Capitol hovercraft, I had to still be alive. I find the nearest mirror, and examine myself. I don't look bad, the gash from the spear wound is sealed up, and the scar is small and faded. My hair is still in its two puffs, and it doesn't look shabby, for to say I've been in the arena, fighting to the death. Overall, I'm no Capitol jewel, but I don't look awful. Only after I finished looking at myself do I think of something ever so life-threatening. _The Capitol can't find out I'm alive_. _I'll die for sure_. The answer was plain and simple. The Capitol mustn't find me. Curiosity took over, and I looked around the hovercraft a little. I saw a screen that displayed the Hunger Games. I see Clove attack Katniss, and I fear the worst. In the blink of an eye, Thresh appears and knocks Clove in the head with a rock, killing her. He speaks with Katniss, and spares her life in memory of me. Aw. He takes both his and Cato's bags, and I know immediately what he's doing. He's trying to lure Cato away from Katniss. Cato falls right into the lure, and when I hear a cannon boom, I hope Thresh won. My prayers are answered as Thresh steps away from it, blood on his machete. He killed both Cato and Clove, which means one thing. He and Katniss are the only two remaining. Since a rule was declared saying that if a girl and a boy were the last two tributes standing, that they could win, we had our victors. As far as Peeta was concerned, he died from being beheaded by Clove. The hovercraft landed at some building. I took off running until I reached a place where I could disguise myself. Luck appeared to be on my side, because I spotted a navy blue shimmery Capitol dress that looked like it could fit me. I also noticed a shoulder-length amber brown wig, streaked sparingly with a honey blonde color. Almost normal, but just crazy enough to actually work. I quickly threw on the dress and put on the wig, tucking my two puffs of hair into it. I glanced at myself in the mirror. Yes, I looked like a Capitol child, alright. As I was about to head out, I took notice of a red dress, glimmering and throwing off bits of light. It was Katniss' "Girl on Fire" dress. I couldn't restrain myself, so I sprinted over to it, taking the fabric into my fingers, stroking and admiring it. I was too wrapped up in looking at the dress to notice someone walk in behind me.

"What are you doing?" a male voice said from behind me. I froze in complete shock. _Really Rue? Can't go five minutes without getting caught?_ I thought to myself. I turned around to face whoever this person was in what I hoped was a calm manner. I found myself facing the District 12 stylist, Cinna. I was surprisingly relieved, yet I still knew I had a high chance of getting killed. So what did I do? Denied, lied, and prayed that Cinna bought it.

"Just looking at this beautiful dress," I said, affecting a Capitol accent, hoping the flattery of his designs did one bit of good. Maybe, just maybe, it had.

"I'm glad you like it. My name is Cinna, and you are?" he said by way of reply. Oh, he was good. He trapped me in a net that wouldn't be easy to cut myself out of. So I sputtered out the first Capitol-like name that came to mind.

"My name is Lavender, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said, waiting to see if he fell for it. Judging by the smirk that was playing on his face, not really.

"Well, Lavender, did you like the Games?" he asked me. He was playing along with my little charade; but at the rate we were going with questioning, he'd have me figured out completely in no time. Stupid questions.

"They were rather interesting," I replied coyly, enjoying this more than I did my interview with Caesar Flickerman. He nodded, and asked which tributes I'd been rooting for.

"Definitely Rue, Katniss, Peeta and Thresh," I answered without hesitation. A blush involuntarily bubbled up in my face at the mention of Thresh, and a girlish giggle accidentally escaped my lips.

"Nice outfit," Cinna commented. "However, flats go much better with the dress than arena boots," he adds with a knowing look in his eyes, pointed straight at me. This confirmed my suspicions on whether or not he knew. He carefully removed the wig from my head, exposing my two puffballs of hair in the process.

"What happens now?" I asked. He seemed to understand what I'm saying, and he laughed to himself as he answered.

"I won't, because where's the fun in that? You've got that whole sneaky, hard-to-catch thing going. Not ruining that. I had a different idea in mind," he said, a mischievous grin slowly gracing his features. He placed the wig back on my head as carefully as he'd taken it off, gave me some flats that matched my dress (true to his advice) and did my makeup. Natural, yet somehow still Capitol. I glance again to the mirror, and what I find is truly amazing.

"Meet Lavender Stone," Cinna whispered, a quiet flourish prevalent in his voice. Oh, boy.

* * *

Okay, it's official. Cinna is a madman. A brilliant, genius, amazing, crazy madman, that is. This fact was proven by the plans he came up with. The first plan was to reveal myself to Katniss and Thresh during their interview with Caesar Flickerman. The second plan to have Cinna notify Katniss and Thresh that I was still alive. I'd hide out in the Capitol until the upcoming rebellion was at hand, then hold my debut to the Capitol as we went out to war, branding me as the "Little Mockingjay," the nickname Cinna gave me. I preferred the second plan, mainly because it fit my style a little better than the first plan. I'd rather an incognito sort of thing as opposed to an immediate out-with-it type of plan. As I told Cinna this, he seemed to approve this idea more, and you could practically see the gears going into overdrive in his brain. Cinna decides to go and tell Thresh and Katniss. I was instructed to stay in the design room, so I wouldn't need to worry about getting caught. (In my defense, those boots were my giveaway, not my Capitol accent.) I relaxed for a bit, but soon I heard a pair of heels clinking down the hall, the wearer too trained to be anyone BUT an escort. Effie. I duck quickly behind a rack of dresses, and it's a good thing they're floor-length.

"Cinna?" Effie called out in that high-pitched signature Capitol squeal I (and many, many others) loved to mock. Finally, after not finding Cinna, Effie left to go…well, wherever Effie's go. After she was a safe distance away, I come out from my hiding spot. About five minutes later, give or take, Cinna walked in, Katniss and Thresh on his trail.

"Thresh Cliff and Katniss Everdeen, meet Lavender Stone," he said, revealing me to them. Thresh recognizes me the instant he sees me, but Katniss can't, and I know by what she says.

"Where's Rue? Unless she's hiding somewhere, she can't possibly be here," Katniss said in sadness and depression. Thresh and I were both trying so hard to hold back from ripping the wig off my head, and telling Katniss to look at what's right in front of her. I decided to drop hints and let her see it for herself.

"Katniss, your friend may be right under your nose," I told Katniss in my affected Capitol accent. Thresh masks impression (barely) at my level of self-control, and Cinna is seriously at war with his tongue and he's winning by the skin of his teeth. Katniss was too wrapped up in her thoughts of me that she couldn't see through this Capitol stuff. On the bright side though, if _**Katniss **_of all people couldn't recognize me, then the Capitol people wouldn't for sure. Finally, in a moment of clarity, Katniss started to get what I was saying. She examined "Lavender" closely- her size, her skin color, her facial characteristics, things the makeup couldn't change. Katniss ran up to me and enveloped me in a huge hug, but I wasn't done having fun with this.

"What are you doing, Katniss? Did you find your friend?" I asked once again in my Capitol accent. Cinna, Katniss and Thresh all looked at me with expressions saying,

"Give it up."

So I did. I hugged everyone, and after we all hugged, Thresh pushed me behind his back, motioning for me to hide myself behind him and Katniss. Cinna went to his designing board thingy, and Katniss and Thresh walked over to the dress rack, hiding me in the process. I heard Haymitch talking to Cinna, and I realize that even Haymitch couldn't know, because he would more than likely recognize me (mainly because he was sober; if he were drunk, we wouldn't have a problem.) Haymitch left soon, and Cinna closed his door for some much-needed peace so we could plan the rebellion.

"So, I know so far that she's staying in the Capitol, but for how long, and when is the rebellion to start?" Thresh asked. No doubt, he'll be in it. And I was most definitely going on the Victory Tour. It was just a matter of how.

"The rebellion against the Capitol would have to be either to the end of or after the Victory Tour," I said, voicing my thoughts. Everyone nodded in agreement. After talking over a few more things concerning the Rebellion, we said our goodnights and headed to bed.


	2. Lovers?

**Here's Chapter 2! Not giving away any spoilers about it, but it's good. **

Thresh POV

Ever since Fire Girl and I won the Games, I started getting this jittery feeling every time I'm around her. I know exactly what it's supposed to mean, but how come I didn't feel this earlier? Anyways, this afternoon we found out that Rue was still alive, and that somehow, her "death" brought about a spark that ignited the idea of a rebellion against the Capitol. I was all for it as soon as I heard the words "capitol" and "rebel." However, seeing Rue alive today was a rather interesting situation. I still have yet to know exactly how she got here, and exactly how Cinna managed to find her before I did. I heard a little knock at the door, so I left my thoughts alone and went to answer the door. I found Rue standing there, appearing quite eager to come in. I let her in, and this was the first thing to come out of her mouth.

"Thresh, do you think it'll work?" My guess was that she was referring to the whole Lavender thing.

"Sure it will, kiddo," I replied as assuring as possible. "The Capitol can't kill you, because you're, and I quote, 'sneaky, fast, and the hardest to catch'," I added, mocking her pre-Games interview angle, complete with the high-pitched voice and me furiously batting my eyelashes. She laughed and rolled her eyes at my imitation. She went into one of her own, however, and you'll never guess who it was of.

"I'm Thresh. I'm stony, stoic, and deadly quiet," she said in a deep voice, and I must admit, it's sort of funny. We both burst out laughing in nothing flat.

"I'm curious to know two things. One, whose idea was it to dress you up as a Capitol kid? And two, how did Cinna find you?" I asked, seriously wanting to know. Rue explains to me how she snuck off a Capitol hovercraft into the District 12 building, and tried to lay low, not to much avail.

"Well, it was my idea to pretend to be from the Capitol, so as not to bring up suspicion. Cinna found me admiring Katniss' Girl on Fire dress. My arena boots were what got me caught," she admitted a bit sheepishly. I'm not even asking where she found the outfit, but it was probably sheer luck, knowing Rue. But having those boots there, adding to how she was the smallest one in the Games, was what gave her away so easily to Cinna.

"Rookie mistake, little girl. You have to dress the part if you're gonna act the part," I told her. What I still can't get through my head was how Katniss didn't see the truth until Rue was practically flinging it in her face. The instant I saw "Lavender," I noticed two things off the bat. One, she looked like she could possibly be Cinna's daughter. Two, I'd recognize the big golden-brown eyes anywhere. I was going to tell Katniss in the first place, but it was obvious that Rue wanted her to see it for herself. It was for Rue that I kept my mouth shut, and I let her keep her cover. Until Katniss (Fire Girl, whatever) finally saw it. After a while, Rue asks if she can spend the night in my room, and I can't refuse. It's like she dissolves your defenses with those eyes, which is why I'm shocked that she didn't win the Games just by cute-ing everyone to death. She crawls in the bed with me, and within five minutes, she's knocked out in my arms. I keep her tucked in, and I'm asleep ten minutes later.

I woke up the next morning to find both Katniss and Cinna looking dead at Rue and I, Katniss wearing a huge smirk on her face. My tongue wasn't quite up to operating in sync with my brain so I could come up with a decent lie as to why Rue is in here. Lucky for me, Rue was wide awake and made up some excuse about a nightmare she'd had, so she came to me, like she had the night before the Games. They bought it, we dismissed the matter, and we all got dressed. On the way to breakfast, Cinna and I made up a cover story for Rue. "Lavender" was Cinna's niece that he'd been asked to keep an eye on, so he'd had to bring her with him. It was a plausible excuse, and all we had to do was get it past Haymitch and Effie. As we entered, the first words we all heard was,

"Who is she?"

All eyes fell on Cinna. The girls didn't know about the cover, so the hope was slightly etched on both of their faces that we'd come up with something.

" This is my niece, Lavender. I had to keep her for a few weeks while her parents are away on business," Cinna replied. I gotta admit, he keeps very cool under pressure, and lies like a pro. Without another word concerning Lavender, we ate our huge Capitol breakfast in peace. I mentally commended Rue for pulling off her little act, especially in front of Effie, who I'd thought would be the first one to say that something about Lavender was a bit off for a Capitol kid. But Rue is quite the little actress.

After finishing breakfast, Katniss went with Effie for her coaching on the interview, while I went to Cinna for mine. Rue, or should I say Lavender, was right beside me. All that Cinna and I talked about was my approach, which wasn't to be much different from last time. But then, Cinna asked me a question that threw me for a spinner.

"Do you like Katniss?" he asked me. Well, yes, but I didn't want him to know that. Unfortunately, Cinna is one of the few people I can't lie to that easily.

"Um, no…" I answered, trying my hardest to convincingly deny it. With that stupid blush creeping up my face at the thought of Katniss, and that ghost of a smirk sitting on his face, it was obvious he didn't believe me. Hey, I wouldn't believe me either.

"Taking that as a yes. You could, if you want to, add this into your interview. Keep it a little bit mysterious, and let the audience put two and two together. Let's practice your interview. Lavender, come here for a sec," Cinna said, motioning Rue to come over, probably so I could get a feel of how it would be with Katniss on my side. He instructed her to answer how she figured Katniss might. Knew it.

"Tonight with us we have Thresh Cliff and Katniss Everdeen, victors of the Hunger Games. Blah, blah, blah, all that crazy banter he does," Cinna said, making us hold back laughter.

"So Thresh, how'd you feel when you and Katniss won the Games?" Cinna, asked, getting somewhat into character. Think Thresh. Short answers, stony attitude, and a lover. Challenge, but not impossible.

"Good," I answered indifferently, knowing full well that this would be how I'd answer Caesar.

"Only GOOD?" Cinna pushed. So he wanted more; I'll try it.

"Great, I guess," I answered sullenly, seeming altogether bored with the interview. Good.

"Okay. Katniss, how did you feel when you and Thresh won the Games?" Cinna asked Rue.

"I felt happy to keep my promise to my sister Prim, and I felt pleased that I won with him," she replied, the happiness in her voice subtle, but very much there. So she was hinting in to our "lovers" thing. Naturally, she'd know what I felt for Katniss- it's Rue, and Rue doesn't miss these things. But I still pretended to throw her a questioning look, and the look in her eyes said, "Well, you couldn't have been more obvious with it."

"Ah, Ms. Everdeen! But what about Peeta?" Cinna asked, figuring his name would more than likely come up in the interview.

"I guess that after Peeta was killed, Thresh sort-of comforted me, and it was stronger with him than it had ever been with Peeta," Rue replies, mocking Katniss perfectly.

"Thresh? How do you feel about the Girl on Fire?" Cinna asked me, an almost gossipy feel to his voice. I almost laughed, but I pulled myself together for the answer.

"I love her," I replied, short and straight to the point. Cinna pretended to relish in it, like he didn't even know. Yep, Cinna can act.

"Okay, I'm liking the interview so far, but you and Katniss are going to need more than words to sway the audience. **Show **them how in love you are. Hold hands, stolen glances, and maybe even a couple kisses wouldn't hurt," Cinna said by way of advice. I knew he'd make me practice with Rue, and the holding hands and stolen glances, I could do. But kissing Rue? That would be... kissing my little sister...yeah.

"Fine, let's practice. But we're saving the kissing for last," Rue stated, voicing my thoughts. So over the next hour, we practiced flirting through the interview while keeping both angles intact. When Rue mentions Peeta's death, I hold her hand to comfort her through it. Lastly, we practiced kissing. I gave Rue her first kiss and her first make-out session. It was awkward, kissing a twelve-year-old, but by the third kiss, I got used to the weird feeling. But she did NOT hold back. She gave me everything she figured Katniss would, and then some.

I heard Katniss coming down the hall, so I whispered to Rue, asking if she could distract Cinna long enough to give Katniss and I some privacy. She agreed, giggling girlishly in my ear at the sight of love, and then she told Cinna about something she wanted him to see. She led him out of the room to wherever she was going, and not a second before Katniss walked through the door.

"Hi, Thresh. I came to talk to you about something. Effie suggested that we do a lover's angle, but I wanted your opinion on it," Katniss said, and I knew that it was now or never.

"That's good with me, but I wouldn't…I wouldn't be acting," I told her. Then I did it. Yup. I closed the gap between us and kissed her. In an instant, she started kissing back. We were fully making out when I heard Rue and Cinna making "ooh" and "ah" sounds at the door. I looked at them and smiled, then Katniss spotted them and smirked.

"So, the lover's angle it is," I said to Katniss, and she admitted her feelings for me.

"Thresh, I-I love you, I can't hide it anymore, I just can't," Katniss whispered into my ear. I kissed her on the lips and murmured sweet nothings into her ear to tell her that I felt the same way. (Ironically enough, Rue's kissing guesstimates were dead on.) Rue and Cinna closed the door, but I knew they were eavesdropping on us. Wouldn't have felt right without that, though. By nightfall we reached District 12.


	3. Rue's Got a Crush!

**I'm gonna say to heck with drabbling, and on with the story. Deal? Good, now let's go.**

Rue POV

This morning, the Victory Tour began, which is why we're in District 12. Katniss' district. She would see her little sister again, and Thresh and I might get a chance to tour the district a little. Then we'd go to District 11, where Thresh and I would see our family and friends.

After a breezy breakfast, we got off the train, and I was quite surprised when Cinna let me go on my own and tour the District. He handed me this device he called a "smart phone" to keep with me so he could have access to me, and let me go. However, he gave me precise and distinct instructions.

"You can't tell anyone who you are, and if you run into danger, get me on the phone," Cinna said. I nodded in consent and proceeded to sneak off the train (eh, old habits die hard). I made my way, weaving through the crowd, until I could slip out. As I walked around, a look of wonder glazing my eyes, I felt a gaze on my back. Quite a strong gaze, almost as intense as a full-fledged stare. The gaze was still there, even when I casually walked into the nearest shop. A minute or two later, I found the owner of the gaze standing right beside me. I gave him a quick look-over. He had tanned skin, chocolate brown straight hair, and ocean blue eyes that make it so easy to get lost in. _What the- snap out of it, Rue! You don't even know him! _I thought to myself.

"Um, hi," I said in my Capitol accent, trying to make conversation.

"Hey, I'm Cassius. And you are?" the boy replied. I hesitated a second, remembering my cover, and answered him.

"Lavender, nice to meet you." We chatted for awhile, talked about the basics, easy things that wouldn't require making up too much. I purposefully avoided talking about home and the Games as much as he'd let me. I decided that I liked him, and not liked, but _like-liked. _I could only pray to God that he felt the same way, but there was a catch. He knows the shy, girly Lavender, not the clever, cunning Rue. He didn't know the real me, and I hoped that all this wouldn't blow up in my face, and that I could make this work. Fortunately, Cassius had a phone, so we exchanged numbers. My fun was cut short when I got a call from Cinna who said that it was time to come to the train before the ceremony got started.

" Bye, Cassius," I said sadly. "My uncle just called me, and he needs me right now," I added, remembering at the last minute that Cinna was Lavender's "uncle."

"Bye, Lavender. And call me Cass," he said, a flirty tone in his voice. I laughed, said a quick, "Okay," and left, speeding through the crowd.

I made it back to the train just as Katniss and Thresh were about to approach the stage. I decided to tell Cinna about my crush on Cassius. This was the conversation that came from that.

"Cinna, can I tell you a secret?" I asked him.

"Spill," he replied, and it felt like I was telling all this to a friend back home.

"So, while I was touring the district, I met this guy named Cassius, and he's so sweet, and cute, and he has the bluest eyes that you could fall right into and lose yourself in," I told him, not leaving out a single detail.

"Well, look at you! Please say you didn't tell him," Cinna responded.

"Nope, I was following your instructions. I'm just not sure how it'll work out," I responded. He seemed to sense how I felt, so he hugged me.

"It'll work out just fine, I'm sure of it," Cinna said, rubbing my arm. I wrapped my arms around him again so suddenly, and we just sat there like that for what seemed like an eternity.

Then, in walks a drunken Haymitch, who knocks into a nearby wall and faints. It wasn't good, but at least we didn't have to worry about him finding out anything. He was too far under.

"Okay, so what did you tell him?" Cinna asked me. As I was about to answer, I noticed Haymitch coming to.

"I'll tell you later, looks like someone's coming to," I said in my capitol accent to warn him. He caught onto what I was saying, and helped me pick Haymitch up off the ground. I could tell that Haymitch was surprised to see a little wisp of a girl like me picking him up by the look of confusion in eyes. Then again, that could've simply been the alcohol in his system making his eyes hazy. After getting Haymitch to a chair, my attention averted to a TV that was showing the Victory Speeches. Katniss was presently talking about how happy she was to win for Prim, and how badly she wished she could've saved me, because of how much like a little sister I was to her in the Games. After she finished, Thresh gave the district (more especially Peeta's family) condolences about Peeta's death, but that was it. I knew it would be, because it wouldn't hit home for him until we reached District 11. Everything went pretty well, I guess, but part of me didn't want to leave District 12, because of Cassius being here. Heck, the only reason I didn't ask to bring him with us on the Victory Tour was because I figured he'd find out about my secret eventually and then he wouldn't want to be my friend anymore, let alone my boyfriend, and I wouldn't be able to blame him. I lied to him, and even though I had no choice, I could see why he'd be upset. So I decided to avoid the trouble altogether and not even ask to bring him, but I'll still miss him so much.

**I've got to say, I wasn't sure how the romance with Rue was going to play out, but definitely keep an eye out for it, because I think I'm gonna go somewhere with it! But this chapter wasn't so bad. **

**P.S.- You guys, I love writing, I really do, but you know what encourages me SOOOO much to keep updating? For whoever guessed reviews, FREE VIRTUAL COOKIES FOR YOU! :) They really do help... **


	4. Train Ride

**Hey! I'm updating again, look at me! This chapter is gonna be nice and long, but pretty awesome! Oh, and by the way, I'm loving the interviews! Keep 'em coming! Now let us get on with this!**

Thresh POV

The speeches in District 12 went rather well. The only real thing is that I have to try to act like I'm totally oblivious to Katniss' feelings for me, and that I have to watch Katniss hint at it without completely saying it (to make it convincing, so says Haymitch.) Apparently, we need to keep our relationship a secret until the big reveal at the interview with Caesar Flickerman tomorrow night. (Yes, it's that close. Ugh.) However, after we finish the ceremony, we get back on the train to go to my district. I head straight for the lounge couch and sit next to a clearly down-in-the-dumps little girl. As I wonder why, I begin to look past the sad little face, and Rue looks like she misses someone, but not to the extent of family. More like someone she just met. I figure it's some guy she met in District 12. She must really like him, though. I decide to ask her.

"Forlorn face, sad eyes. Okay, what dude did you meet in 12?" I ask her.

Eyes looking up at me timidly, she asks, "Is it that obvious?" It wasn't really THAT obvious; we both just knew each other pretty well, so it was easy for us to tell.

"Not really," I say reassuringly. She goes on to tell me about this boy she met. According to Rue, he has brown hair, tanned skin and ocean blue eyes that you could just fall right into. (Her words, not mine.) She also kept going on and on about how sweet he was and how much she liked him. It was just like Katniss and Peeta all over again- a sweet story of young love- but this time, without the tragic ending, and even younger love. In all seriousness, Rue had it BAD for this kid.

"Aw, look at little Rue!" I said mockingly at this love story in the making. This earned me a glare from Rue.

"I wouldn't talk, Mr. Everdeen," she retorted, every bit as mockingly as I'd spoken to her. The smirk I was sporting instantly drained from my face and she fell out laughing. She was using the Katniss card already. What didn't drain from my face, however, was a massive blushing frenzy (I swear, those things have strangely uncanny timing) and if it was possible, she was now laughing even harder.

"Looks like little sister's got jokes, eh?" I asked in response.

"Yup. Serves you right for teasing me about Cassius," she said smugly, sticking out her tongue at me. Cocky… but cockiness tends to be a weakness for most. I simply smirked ever-so-lightly at her innocence, and bowed my head in mock-defeat. When she pumped her fists in victory, I knew I had the chance. Since her guard was down, I took the opportunity to tickle (torture) her at her weaker point- her stomach. Neither of us could quit laughing, for different reasons.

"Thresh! T-, Thre-, Thresh! N-no! Stop it, stop, Thresh! I-I'm sorry, okay? Uncle!" she screamed, her laughing cries all too pleasing. I kept going, but I soon stopped as Rue's smartphone rang, and on the screen it said "Cassius." We exchanged a glance from the phone to us for what felt like an eternity, and we both raced to get the phone. I reached for the phone, but that little thing got to it before I could. She pressed the speakerphone button, and I wondered why. (Most people don't want you to listen in on these kind of things.)

"Hello?" she said into the phone in a voice much too sugary-sweet and plain girly to be her own.

"Hey, Lav," I heard a voice say, and she looked a little surprised. Maybe the nickname was new. Eh.

"Lav…I like it. So, what'cha doin'?" she asked, and what he said next would bring tears of happiness to every romantic in the world's eyes.

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you," he answered. Now THAT was just cute.

"Cool. So what did you need to tell me?" she asked him. I could only assume what was coming next would be either sweet, tragic or both.

"There's this replay of the Hunger Games they're forcing us to watch in District 12, and I was wondering if you wanted to come. I don't know if you saw it or not, but I figured we could share some popcorn or something…uh, yeah," he said nervously, and this was the classic let's-watch-a-movie thing that often results in a new couple. Like I said, both sweet and tragic. This train was almost in District 11, miles away from District 12. There was no way that this train was getting anywhere close to District 12.

"Oh my gosh, Cass, I'm so sorry, but my uncle, my…brother and I are on our way to District 11 for…this competition my brother's competing in," she said. Nice.

"Oh. Well, tell your brother I said good luck at his competition. But let me know when you're coming back to Twelve," Cassius said, sounding very disheartened. I could see the guilt was eating Rue up for lying to Cassius, and I felt sorry for her.

"Kay," she said, a peppy tone in her voice that barely masked a saddened one. They talked for a few more minutes, and I knew that the two of them had chemistry, even just by the way she laughed at his jokes that weren't even that funny. They hung up, and Rue hugged me. Two seconds later, my shirt was getting wetter and wetter. I let Rue cry for a few more minutes, then I let her face me.

"It's going to be fine. Shh, quit crying," I whispered into her ear softly. I noticed a piece of cake in the corner **(idea inspired by Jaine1234, thank you)** and I had a thought that might cheer her up.

"Got something on your face," I said, getting a little icing off the cake with my finger. "Right, about, there," I finished, touching her nose and putting icing on it. She walked toward the cake, grabbed some, and smeared it all over my cheek. We continued on like this for about ten minutes, smearing cake on each other until both of us looked like we came fresh out the bakery. Rue then smacked me with a pillow from the bed. I barely felt it, but I pretended that it knocked me over and fell onto the bed. (Wait for it…)

"Thresh, you okay?" Rue asked, coming over to check for any damage done. I discreetly grab a pillow and hide it behind me.

"I guess, but you aren't!" I said in a false groan, hitting her with my concealed pillow. She just looked at me in that adorable little pout she pulls when she pretends to get upset. But I saw mischief in those eyes, and I knew she was planning something. But what? She walked out the room, and came back in a few minutes later with Katniss behind her, armed with about five pillows. Good thing those weren't bow and arrows, or I'd be dead.

"I see, two to one," I muttered. I was already thinking of strategies. By the look in Katniss and Rue's eyes, so were they. Time froze for a second and then we started pounding each other with the pillows. Feathers were everywhere, and we all felt like little kids again. Well, me and Katniss, anyways. After all the feathers cleared up, we find Haymitch and Cinna standing at the door. Cinna, I wasn't worried much about. He MIGHT chew us out. Haymitch, I was worried about for more reasons than one. Rue wasn't in her Lavender getup, and I knew we were right about at quadruple-busted.

"You know, I bought the whole little scheme for about five minutes, but I didn't bust you for a reason," Haymitch said, and I assumed his statement was directed to Rue. How I saw this coming, I still don't know.

"I have also found out some information. All of you are pretty good liars, the little one technically won the games, so she made history, congratulations and all that. Oh, and all of you are in big trouble," he continued with a smirk, pointing at the three of us, who were currently sporting innocently guilty smiles. All three smiles dropped instantly, and we started cleaning our mess up. Not even asking the Avoxes to help out. After everything was cleaned up, we heard heels coming down the hall. Trained walking + heels= District escort. And we all know who that is, right? Rue quietly ducked into the bathroom, and there was a mutual command in the air right now- act natural.

"It's time for dinner, you two. Oh, and if you see Lavender, do tell her to come to the dinner table and eat," Effie said in her trademark Capitol voice. I nod curtly. That seemed to be good enough for her, as she walked away, heels clacking down the tiled hall. Rue peeks her head out from the bathroom.

"Clear?" her little voice whispered. I hum four notes that she automatically recognizes. _Safe_. She came out from the bathroom, and took out what appeared to be a makeup bag. She grabbed her wig, and Katniss assisted her getting it on, and doing her makeup. (I don't worry about that stuff. Leave it to Cinna and them). We all decided that she looked good, and left for dinner.


	5. Visiting Home

**Hello my readers! Here comes Chapter Five. There's a twist in this one that if you look really close at the other chapters, you would've seen it coming. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- Don't own the Hunger Games. If I did, District 11 and 12 would've won. **

Rue POV

We were finally in District Eleven. Home. The fact that I was finally home (and not in a casket) overwhelmed and surprised me. Today was for Thresh, and me, to a lesser extent. We'd both get a chance to see our family. Nobody really talks about this (or in some cases, even know about this) but Thresh is my big brother. During the goodbyes, our escort told both of us not to bring it up, because we needed to show no soft spots for anyone, not even each other. (Thresh threw _that _to the wind after I died). I'm honestly shocked that nobody figured it out- we look somewhat alike, and we're very protective of each other. However, if you weren't looking for it, you might not notice. Anyway, Thresh and I were allowed to go see our family. For such a special occasion, I picked out a special outfit- a white strapless bandeau top with silver swirling accents and a pair of skinny jeans, accompanied with silver sandals, adorned with rhinestones. My hair (wig, whatever) was done in an easy half-up-half-down style. After both Thresh and I were up and dressed, we left the train and headed in the direction of our house. We talked as we went.

"I've got an idea," Thresh said to me, and I looked at him expectantly, waiting for an idea.

"I'm thinking about surprising Willow. I'll go in for a second," he added, letting me finish the thought.

"I'll come in after you, and we can wing it from there. But, I wonder…" I said, my last thoughts dying on my lips.

"What?" Thresh asked. I laughed a little and answered him.

"How long it would take Willow to figure it out."

Willow was our seven-year-old little sister, who'd been left with our neighbors when we left. Our parents were both dead from some nightlock they'd accidentally mixed in with a couple of berries they'd stolen, and we were left alone. I was amazed that the government never found out, but not because we didn't try to fool them. Thresh and I had continued schooling and working, and we sort of assumed the role of parents for Willow, who was very young when our parents died, just barely four . One time, when she was five years old, I hid behind a bush close to our house and held a whole conversation with her from behind the bush. She thought it was a magical bush that could talk. I could still see her running towards Thresh, telling him all about the special bush. He didn't have the heart to burst her bubble, because she was so happy, so he made up some story about that bush, and what happened when he talked to it. She believed him, but when I got back to the house a few minutes later, I knew he wouldn't have believed me, and his words proved my theory.

"So, Rue, Willow told me about the talking bush. You…know anything about that?" he asked in a sarcastic manner, reminding me of a father chastising his daughter. Despite my innocent smile, he hadn't bought it for a split second. He smiled to himself, clearly remembering the same moment, and replied.

"I dunno. She's a pretty tough one to fool." Before we knew it, we reached the house. I hid instinctively in my favorite tree, which had a perfect seat at one of the middle branches. This was a tree I'd been in very often. VERY often. Thresh knocked at the door once he was sure I was hidden. Willow answered.

"Thresh!" she exclaimed happily, giving him a bear hug. I could tell that she wished I was there, from what the tint of sadness in her eyes showing in her hazel eyes. It made my defenses weakened, and I almost came out of hiding to comfort her and let her know everything would be alright. Unfortunately, I can't do that- not for our little plan to work.

"I want you to meet somebody," I heard Thresh say, and he signals for me to come in. I scurried down the tree in record time, brushed myself off, and walked to the door calmly.

"This is Lavender. Have fun, you two," Thresh finished, nudging me over to Willow. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him batting his eyelashes wildly at me and looking like a creepy, girlish pervert, but I knew exactly what he meant. _Don't drop your act._ (Signal or not, though, that was a bit weird, if you ask me). I shook it off and started playing with Willow.

"You remind me a lot of Rue. She was my sister," Willow said after some time. From the looks of it, she missed me a bunch, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for lying to her. She went into a detailed description of me.

"She seems like a very nice person," I said cautiously, not wanting to give away too much, but my resolve is sinking.

"She was," Willow said sorrowfully, tears brimming in her eyes. When I pretend to look confused, she explained to me about the incident.

"Rue got killed in the Hunger Games. I'm happy that Thresh won and all, but I miss her so much," Willow answered, tears falling freely down her little face. Oh my gosh, that's enough! I CAN'T TAKE IT! It's time. I've waited long enough, it's time.

"She's still here, you know," I told her in my own voice (which I was so happy to be using now). She slowly looked at me, and hugged me tight, tears falling down both of our faces.

"I knew it all along," Willow mumbled a couple of minutes later. Wait, what?


	6. Ceremony

**Chapter 6, finally! This is the long-awaited District Eleven speech chapter. I was excited just writing this! Well, let's move on and get to the good stuff. **

**Oh, P.S.- I don't own the Hunger Games (unfortunately, because if I did, there would've been four victors, from team D11 and D12. YEAH…)**

Chapter 6- Thresh POV

And there it was. Somehow, I just knew that Willow would figure it out before very long. She possessed Rue's clever nature and my deductive reasoning reflexes (which weren't slow), so if you combined the two, it's pretty easy to know those things in no time at all. Rue was sitting there, her eyebrows flying nearly off her face and her mouth agape. I was watching silently from the door, and I could barely contain my laughter at the sheer irony of the situation. Willow explained to Rue how she'd found out. She saw Rue and I coming up to the house, and upon seeing how attached we seemed in relation to each other, she suspected that something was up. Then she noticed that Rue went to her favorite tree to hide (among many to choose from) and she knew that couldn't have been by coincidence. Lastly, the guilty looks shown in Lavender's eyes at any mention of Rue was the final clue as to who Lavender really was. I knew Willow was quite observant of Rue, but Rue hadn't realized that Willow had been following her and stalking (or, to put it in a better term, hawk-watching) her, although there were a couple times when I'd caught Willow in the act. Currently, there was a smug smirk on Willow's face, proud that she'd figured all of this out, and they enveloped each other in a huge hug. I tried to sneak up behind them, but both of them got me.

"Come on, Thresh," both of them said simultaneously. I came out from my "hiding spot" and joined the little group hug. We stayed for a little while longer, then Rue and I had to leave. We made a quick return to the train, because I still had to get ready for the ceremony. Cinna had a nice outfit for me- a dark green shirt under a black hoodie, some black jeans and some dark green tennis shoes. I like it. It's simple and plain. After I got redressed, the crazy, giggly Capitol trio from the Games went back to work on me, fixing my hair and primping me- well, of course, as much as I could be primped. I was a tough guy, not some pretty princess they could decorate all over the place. Cinna came in for me again, and gave me something to keep in my pocket. It was an exact replica of Katniss' mockingjay pin, the one that made Rue trust her so much in the first place. I knew exactly what he was both saying and doing when he gave it to me. He let me know that Katniss, Rue and I were going to be the faces of the rebellion, and that it wouldn't be long before it happened. I gave him a quick nod as a response and got ready to face my district. Wait…is that…no, it can't be…butterflies? Why am I so nervous? I saw these people every day, for crying out loud! I guess it's just nerves. I had to remember so many things- let Katniss do the crying for Rue and hold in your own "tears" (well, she's alive, any tears of mine are tears of joy), act tough and don't look like you have any soft spots except for that little girl you'd die to protect. Oh, and by all means, be oblivious to Katniss' flirting…yeah, I'm not that stupid…

Before I knew it, Katniss and I were being rushed to the backstage where we would be until we were presented to the district. I gave Katniss a quick peck on the lips (you know, once I got the courage to) as a "good luck", and she was blushing madly. Soon after, we were presented to the district. Katniss spoke first. I just looked at her, in awe of how a once shy, hostile girl became so extroverted so quickly.

"People of District Eleven," she began. "I am honored to be standing on this stage. I am sorry for the loss of your wonderful tribute, Rue Cliff. She was truly an amazing person to have befriended, and…" she said, and she started breathing in uneven intervals, so close to tears. _Push it, Katniss, push it, _I thought to myself. Katniss was remembering the Games, and she was about to cry. I could tell. "She didn't deserve to go into the Games. She was much like a sister to me, and…it…" that's about as far as Katniss made it before she broke down. Our district's mayor came to comfort her, and I wanted so badly to do the same, but I knew there was no way I'd be able to comfort her without giving in to the urge to kiss her, and that would just ruin everything. We were both aware that Rue was alive and well- my best guess is that Katniss channeled those feelings she had after Rue's death, and it had been too much to keep it all held in. I continued the speech for her.

"I am also honored to be on this stage. I…we, we will all miss little Rue. She was the best little sister you could ask for, and one of the hardest workers in the orchard. I hope that she will forever be in our hearts," I said, and I think I more than likely broke a record for my amount of words said in front of a large group of people. Everybody liked Rue a lot, and everyone knew the district's little mockingjay that called quitting time, so there wasn't a dry eye in the town square. Katniss and I were escorted back to the train (once they got Katniss to calm down and quit hyperventilating) and Katniss, once we were out of sight from District Eleven, hugged Rue like there was no tomorrow. The tears in my eyes that threatened to fall during the ceremony slowly trickled out, and I wiped them away quickly. Not quickly enough, because that little sister of mine caught it. Regardless, we were on our way to the Capitol, which would be a pretty short trip, about two hours at the least and three at the most.

**So yep, that's it. Sorry it was so short, but you'll see why later. And I am glad that the Rue/Thresh sibling-ship is being received so well. Also, shout-out to bluespades for all those helpful interviews! To answer your question, the story isn't exactly going to follow the story line, considering that Rue and Thresh are alive, and I refuse to kill Cinna, Haymitch or Effie. (Those are the awesome characters, if you ask me.) But I do think I'm going to take a few elements from Catching Fire and implement them in this story. As for my other reviewers, don't stop! Keep those reviews coming, because they are great motivation. Okay, I'll shut up now and let you think about the chapter I just posted. Peace! **

**P.S.- There are many surprises to come... oh, I'm evil. Mwahahahaha! ;)**


	7. Preparing for the Interview

**Chapter 7! Look how far we've gotten, my dear readers! This time, I'm bringing in a longer chapter and a brand-new POV (yay!) On with the story, and remember- I don't own the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins does (that lucky dog…)**

Ch.7- Katniss POV

Overwhelming. If there's a word to describe my life these past few weeks, that's it. So far, I've survived the Hunger Games (which was a miracle in itself), pretended to be in love, actually FELL in love, and found another "little sister" who died in the Games and somehow (don't ask me how because I really don't know, nor do I care) came back to life. Now she, her district partner Thresh (AKA the dude I fell in love with) and I are in the process of overthrowing the "mighty" Capitol (as if!) All three of us were going to make it out of whatever happened- this I'd make sure of. So, no, I have not been bored for some time.

Anyway, we were just getting to the Capitol. It might be the most evil place in the world, but the Capitol's impression on you never gets old. Just like that fateful day when Peeta and I first arrived at the Capitol, I saw those bird-like people in a huge crowd, waiting to see the new victors. I plastered a smirk on my face, trying to hide my inner hatred for these people. I wasn't planning on smiling anytime soon- that was giving them satisfaction, so I'd never do that. Thresh was already into his "deadly silent" act (and doing extremely well with it), and Rue was at the moment hiding just below me, maybe from the crowd outside. I'm not sure. The second we got away from the crazy-looking crowd, I heard-

"Have you seen Rue? I've been looking all over the place for her?" Thresh said. Out of my peripheral vision, I spotted Rue, who was telling me not to give her spot away.

"Umm, I think I saw her…talking to…Haymitch earlier," I lied nonchalantly. And there's the pang of guilt.

"Okay, I'll go look," he answered, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. Thresh went toward the next car on the train. As soon as Thresh was gone, Rue appeared from behind me. I merely shook my head at her childish sneakiness. We both knew that Thresh was going to have his hands full behind trying to find her.

"Better go before he finds you," I said to her, and she replied with a slightly self-accomplished smirk.

"I've had Thresh on a wild groosling chase all day. I can keep it up." A wild groosling chase? Before I even had time to ask what the heck that was, we both heard his footfall, and Rue disappeared just as quickly as she'd even come.

District Eleven people must have crazy-accurate timing skills (or maybe it's just them) because no sooner than Rue's out the door, Thresh walked in, exhaustion spelled out on his face.

"Any luck?" I asked him in a sarcastic tone. He looked at me quizzically first, then said with a knowing smile,

"You know exactly where she is, don't you?" I returned the same smile, but my answer shocked him.

"That child could be anywhere by now." Suddenly, I heard a light giggle, and apparently Thresh heard it as well because both of us turned our heads to the direction of the giggle. _Way to give yourself up, little girl_, I thought to myself. Thresh motioned for me to be quiet, and whispered her name, mocking my voice to a tee. Yes, I am impressed…a lot! He was good. Rue's head peeked out from behind a corner. Thresh just looked at her. "Shoulda known," she stated, throwing up her arms in defeat.

We were getting closer to our drop-off to the Remake Center, where Rue, Thresh and I would be styled up for our interview with Caesar Flickerman. My mind floated to Rue, who wasn't…alive, per se…as far as the Capitol was concerned. How were we supposed to get her to the Remake Center without all the fuss? With all of the cameras, someone would be sure to catch her. Then again, with her little disguise, she might be able to sneak through the crowd and…wait, no. If she didn't make it, heaven knows how bad I'd feel. Then, I think it over again- most of the attention would be on Thresh and I, so Rue might not even be noticed. This was the best plan my mind could come up with at the time, so I told both of them. Thresh and Rue pretty much agreed to my plan, and not one second before we were being pulled off the train. Thresh and I took the front. Rue was instinctively behind Thresh, but clenching her little hands tightly to my shirt. We went on the path to the Remake Center, and between Thresh's "deadly" thing and the icy glares he and I gave all the reporters, we didn't have to worry about a single question being asked. We finally made it to the Remake Center, and the three of us filed into one room, since Cinna was designing all three of our outfits. I had my same prep team, Thresh had Peeta's prep team, and my team had a double job with Lavender, whom they said they had no trouble at all with- these people managed to do a mid-intense full body scrub, her hair, and removed every bit of makeup, all without noticing a single thing concerning the person under there and their identity. (So Capitol people _**ARE **_that slow…) Cinna quietly entered the room with three outfits in his hands. He first went to work on Rue, carefully styling her real hair after removing the wig. Rue was sporting a frilly, very girlish dress that was almost the color of her namesake **(A.N. there are white rue flowers**), but more of a pretty cream color. It was lightly adorned with a few rhinestones at the top, but flowed into a slightly poofy bottom, little gold droplets accenting the dress in just the right places, making her look so sweet, much like her namesake flower. Her hair, once Cinna was done, was in a curly little up-do, a high poofy bun. It was accented by a wreath with rue flowers in it, and she really did look like a little angel.

Thresh looked a little more grounded with a bronze shirt on under a jet black blazer with black pants to compliment it. He looked very classy yet plain, but I understood exactly why his outfit was designed this way; Thresh had a reputation to keep up- the stoic, stony and deadly silent boy from District Eleven who won alongside the Girl on Fire. Speaking of fire, I thought when I saw my dress that Cinna had finally given up on the flames.

"Finally gave up on the flames?" I asked. He smugly grinned and said, "Look again."

I did look at it for the first time on me. It's a metallic gold number that matched Thresh's shirt, yet it shone as bright as the sun. It was strapless, and it came down in wavy ruffles to the floor, starting at my knees.

"Knew it," I mumbled and I knew he heard me. He had most of my hair down, with one braid crowning the top of my head. It would be a Capitol trend by morning. I noticed he was following the gold/yellow theme, apparently sticking to the District Eleven theme, yet still working out fire for me. Sometimes I wondered about Cinna. But what I knew for sure was that under an extreme mask of calm lies a true, full-fledged madman. We were finally ready, so we made our way to the interview. We had to stand on separate pedestals (which made me nervous, I don't think I need to say why) and out of nowhere appeared Haymitch.

"How about a hug, sweetheart?" he said, and although it might just be a victor thing, when I see Chaff going for something much too similar with Thresh, I know something is up, and it can't be good. I pulled quickly into his hug, and he began whispering in my ear furiously fast.

"Listen, when they display Rue, you are to be surprised beyond belief. You don't want ANYONE to think you knew a thing about this, got it?" I nodded and let out a laugh since I wasn't covered.

"And then?" I asked, and he answered.

"Make the audience fall in love with your love at all costs. Rumor has it that you two and maybe the little girl are going back in the arena, so **play nice**."

I nodded and thanked him. It was time. I'm ready, Panem. Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, and President Snow's worst nightmare. Fear me.

**So, whaddya think? Good? Bad? Oh, by the way, maybe that romance thing for Rue with Cassius could be coming up soon... you never know... So anyway, send in reviews, comments, try not to send flames, but by all means, REVIEW! I'll catch you next time, and _may the odds be ever in your favor. _Peace!**

**godgirl1200**


	8. The Interview

**Chapter 8 already! Thanks for all of your positive comments and critique. I absolutely LOVE it! Let's get on with the story…things are fixing to take an interesting turn. Oh, by the way, here comes a long chapter!**

Ch. 8- Rue POV

I was waiting backstage, and I got a close-up view on how amazing this process was. After the stylists (round of applause -more for Cinna than anyone else-), escorts (mild applause) and mentors (wild applause when both of the _drinkers _showed up), the victors (loudest applause ever!) were lifted on pedestals. The look in Katniss' eyes showed how nervous she was about that pedestal; it was completely understandable, what with the things she's been through. I'd have it too. Thresh came up on the other side of the stage, and I could see how well they complimented each other. Sure it would've been sweeter if Katniss could've gone bridal-style on Thresh's lap, but then that would ruin the big reveal. They simply sat on the red velvet loveseat there on the stage. They looked very much together, more so for how tightly they were holding hands. After the beautiful introduction, Caesar got right to the interview.

"Katniss, how did you feel when you won?" he asked. Oh, she practiced this one. Heck, _I _practiced this one. I remember, mainly because (for some crazy reason) I was the practice dummy for both of them. But, I must admit, it was pretty fun imitating Thresh. And Katniss.

"I was so happy, because I'd kept my promise to Prim, and I'm happy I won with him," **(A/N hey that rhymed!)** she answered calmly, stealing a look at Thresh, who was sitting back, being all suave and noncommittal to the interview.

"And for you, Thresh?" Caesar asked, and I could almost see Cinna, Thresh and I sitting there, practicing for his interview, from Thresh sullenly answering every question down to the kissing (once again, kissing my brother? Ew). Thresh mumbled, "Good," in response. This hostile angle would normally be bad, but Thresh pulled it off so well. That plus them loving each other made it completely impossible to take your eyes off them. More of the interview went on in a blur, but I tuned back in when it started getting good.

"Katniss, I'm very curious- we are very curious- to know. Are you still in love with Peeta, or have you moved on from the Boy with the Bread?" Caesar asked. Oh, finally. The question of the night.

"Actually, yes. I have," she replied. I then confirmed every thought in my head that Caesar knew exactly where he was going with this. Really, the situation was quite predictable.

"Would you mind telling our audience who it is?" he asked, and the audience went wild. They all wanted to know who the "Girl on Fire's" new lover was. You know, they could just put two and two together. He's a victor, she's a victor, both in the same Games. Her district partner is dead (he was into her), then she had been throwing hints like mad? Who couldn't figure it out? Katniss took a deep breath and spoke.

"Thresh," said Katniss, her stormy grey eyes passionately looking into his chocolate brown eyes. At first, the room was so quiet you could've heard a pin drop. Then came the cheers, the wild applause, whooping, wolf-whistling, everything. But everyone was really waiting for Thresh's response.

"Well, Thresh. What are your feelings for Katniss?" asked Caesar. Next, three words.

"I love her," Thresh replied. The crowd…went…CRAZY!

**Thresh POV (yup, two POV's in a chapter….)**

It's sort of sad, really. Those Capitol people are cruel and heartless jerks until they see young love. When they see that, they go crazy over it. Caesar looked a bit surprised at my revelation, but I could tell it didn't surprise him one bit. It wasn't so much that it was obvious- the situation was too predictable to miss. I pulled Katniss into a kiss, giving the audience a little action, and we went from kissing to making out by the time Caesar tried to interrupt us and bring us back to the interview. (Notice I said _**tried**_.)

"Busy…." I said in between kisses. We finally stopped when I broke the kiss. Now, that was awesome. The audience was on the edge of their seats to see what would happen next. Oh, something was about to be awesome.

"I'm sure everyone remembers the female tribute from District Eleven. Our little angel of the arena, Rue?" Caesar said, and Katniss gripped my hand tighter. I remembered Chaff telling me something to the effect of that I had to pretend that I had no idea that Rue was still alive. Apparently, she was under the same instruction. I allowed a hint of sadness to cross my face, just enough for the Capitol to play off of. Caesar looked to us, and I knew automatically what was coming.

"What if I told you she was still alive?" he asked, and my eyes widened in "surprise." The crowd was now filled to the brim with wide-eyed, drop-jawed people, seeing the possibility of a brand new scandal. _Three victors? Unheard of._

"Let's give a warm welcome to the angel of the arena, Rue Cliff!" Caesar said, and Rue walked out onto the stage. The pretty wreath around Rue's head highlighted her innocence (a smart move), and her white dress plus the rue flowers in her head gave an air of purity that was much needed right now. (I mean, come on, if we're going for a rebellion, an innocent child is the best cover you could get right now, especially when said child could kill if necessary). Anyway, Rue sat down on my lap, after we both attacked her with hugs. The sight was probably cute, too. Huh.

"So, little lady, are you glad to be back?" Caesar asked, being very polite and gentle in tone with her.

"Definitely, and I'm really happy to be back with Katniss and my big brother," she said in a slightly higher, very girlish voice. She chose her wording carefully, and got a round of sympathetic coos from the audience at me being her brother. Wow, did they really not pay attention to the reapings? I didn't think she brought that up for nothing, so she'd probably do well rolling with that.

"Good for you. Now, I hope you don't mind me asking, but is there someone…special in your life?" Caesar inquired. Oh. Shoot. They had to drag another love story into this, didn't they? Rue plastered a fake smile on her face and answered him.

"Well, there is this one guy I kind of like. I met him a while ago, but I don't know if he likes me. It's pretty complicated…" she admitted. And it was complicated. What else would you call a girl who had an alter ego and fell in love with this dude and she can't even tell him who she really is because if he knew, she thought he wouldn't like her? My point exactly.

"I see. What's his name?" Caesar asked. Once again, a question that wouldn't be too easy to answer. If she said his name (and no doubt he's watching this) he'd know, and they'd somehow pull a picture of him, which would show that he was from District Twelve, which could say that Rue was with us the whole time. So, basically, if she admitted the truth, everything would spiral out of control. _No pressure, little girl. _

"I…er, I don't think he'd want me to say it, he's big on privacy…" she replied sweetly. Kudos, little sis. It was a smart answer, and it gave away nothing. Perfect.

"Okay. Now's the moment we've been waiting for. Let's watch the replay of the 74th Annual Hunger Games! Oh, I just love doing that!" Caesar shouted. He flicked on the screen, and moment by moment, we watched. They managed to capture all kinds of moments, like how Katniss volunteered, Rue taking Cato's knife, (of course) the interviews, and every event in the Games. When Rue and Katniss saw themselves, they quietly shared a laugh, more than likely reminiscing over happy memories. They omitted most of Peeta's scenes "for Katniss' sake", but they kept a few for the audience's entertainment. But nobody missed one second of the action. How they condensed all of that into three hours still amazes me. After the film was finished, Caesar concluded the interview.

"Our victors- Thresh and Rue Cliff and Katniss Everdeen, the forest on fire!" It was a nice theme for the three of us, but sort of ironic how he said forest and none of us are wearing green. (**Sorry, had to put that!**) Katniss looked at me, and reached for my hand.

"They'll love it," she whispered, and I caught her drift. We lifted our hands in the air, and I think their reaction to this was better than the "pair on fire," and that was saying something. Rue inclined her head in a pretty bow, looking precious as ever, and curtseyed politely, lifting both corners of her white dress. As Katniss and I dropped hands, Rue clenched tightly to mine. There would be a rebellion, and this was the perfect way to start it. President Snow came out with an avox, holding two crowns.

He crowned me first.

"Congratulations, son," he said, and I wondered if that tasted as foul on his tongue as it sounded to my ear. I accepted it anyhow.

"Thank you," I said curtly, avoiding eye contact. However, Katniss looked him dead in the eyes.

"Congratulations," he said, crowning her. He noticed her mockingjay pin after sweeping back her hair to place her crown.

"What is that?" he asked, a tint of anger in his sick voice. She remained confident, not one bit shaken.

"Mockingjay pin. A token from my district. It is very precious to me," she responded. Makes sense, she is the Mockingjay after all. Lastly, the avox broke out a diamond princess crown, presumably for Rue.

"Congratulations, sweetheart," President Snow said to my little sister when placing the crown on her head. I resisted the urge to strangle him to death or find the nearest thing to smash his head against when he touched Rue, but suddenly she seemed so strong at her response. He also noticed her diamond angel wing-shaped earrings.

"Thank you. And as for my earrings, I'm an avid fan of birds," she said in response. Double slap...take that, Snow!

"I see," he replied. The crowd wouldn't- no, couldn't- start cheering for us, and I was so grateful for the second we got to the Training Center, because of two things. One, I got to drop my guard, and two, we got to have fun for once that night. We did the only logical thing to do- grabbed Haymitch, Cinna and Effie and sat down to a nice game of Truth or Dare. We all found out some…interesting things about each other. (Do you have access to these things? Heck, no. Go read another story about it.) Oh, yeah- that was _after _Rue went crazy and grabbed every sugar packet in sight and downed it. It took quite some time to cool her down, but by the time she crashed, we managed.


	9. The Reaping

**Attention all readers… I'm still alive, and I've got an update for you! I noticed that the story did seem a little rushed, but I didn't want to bore everyone with details. But there is a twist coming up. Oh, and before I forget, I'm not necessarily staying in canon with Catching Fire right now for a reason, but there is a reason why. Read on! **

**Ch. 10- Katniss POV**

After a crazy night- a bit taxing, what with chasing a twelve year old who's on an extreme sugar high around a room while playing Hide-and-Seek- I was ready to crash on the nearest bed. Apparently, I crashed elsewhere.

The next morning, I found myself in the Training Center. I rolled over on my back and noticed Rue hanging above me, a knife I'd used last night for practice loosely gripped in her hands. It reminded me of that day in the Training Center when she stole Cato's knife. I smiled to myself, an idea forming in my head. If I was going to wake her up, why not have fun doing it?

I threw two knives at targets, both of which hit bulls-eyes, and shot three arrows at one dummy, each hitting the head, the knee, and the heart, respectively. Somehow, Rue never woke up during all of this. Excellent. I grabbed another knife, then hid myself by the camouflage station, grabbing a little red paint and a thin-tipped brush for later, and I called Rue on the phone. She picked up her phone and answered it. This would be fun.

"Hello?" Rue said groggily.

"I will catch you and I will kill you, little girl," I said in a sadistic tone, a mockery of Clove's voice. Rue's eyes grew wide quickly, so it must have worked. Rue started to look around for any sign of the District 2 female tribute. She noticed the knives, and it was safe to say that she was scared out of her wits- Clove never misses, yet neither do I. _Scare her a little more_, my mind begged me.

"Look around you, little girl. I'm…right…here," I whispered. Rue's high-pitched scream was so loud it could've woken up all of Panem. (Good thing the Training Center is soundproof.) She scrambled down from the net, and started looking for me, picking up a slingshot on the way, and a small knife. The first place she went to find me (of course) was the archery station. I silently treaded behind her, my adrenaline pumping like it does just before a kill. I found a use for the red paint, and painted a knife-cutting thin strip of it on my neck, which looked pretty realistic in my books. In my Clove imitation, I whispered,

"Looking for someone?" Rue's head whipped around, her hands clenched tightly on the knife, only to find me on the floor collapsed, as if I were dead, the knife clattered to the floor and stained with "blood." The second she leaned over me, the laughter became too much to hold in. I burst out laughing, knowing how hard I just scared her.

"N-not ve-very convincing, Katniss," Rue said shakily. We walked out of the Training Center, I laughing even harder than before (if that was possible) and Thresh laughing too after being caught watching the whole scene unfold. We got to our floor and found an extremely unpleasant surprise in the mail that darkened the mood rather quickly.

_**To the victors of the 74**__**th**__** Annual Hunger Games:**_

_**I am very pleased to inform you that the Quarter Quell for this year is upon us, and all victors from each district are to have their own reaping bowl, with standard reaping protocol. May the odds be ever in your favor. **_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**Coriolanus Snow, President of Panem **_

I bet he was happy. But I knew what this meant, just as much as he did. I highly doubted anyone besides Prim would volunteer for me, so it was decided that one of the Everdeen girls was going into the arena. The only question was if it would be the little blondie or the brunette who already did her time in there. Thresh came in and wrapped me in a huge bear hug, and I didn't protest at all. I needed that hug.

"The reaping is early. Tomorrow afternoon, according to my letter," Thresh said sadly, hating to be the bearer of bad news. Now it was MY turn to scream so loud all of Panem heard me. There was no doubt in my mind now. I would be reaped, and Prim would more than likely volunteer for me. I would end up staying behind to start the rebellion- the only problem was that she was one of three people I wanted by my side when I started, yet all three will be absent, due to the stinking Hunger Games.

The next morning came all to quickly for me. Nightmares haunted me all night, my dreams filled with Rue, Thresh and Prim dying, all subject to the Games, and the ways they would be tortured. I got almost zero sleep, so I decided to get the girls up and take them out to hunt. Rue was already up, and she got Prim up. Once the three of us were dressed, I handed Prim a small bow and a quiver of arrows I'd been planning to give her on her 13th birthday, and I handed Rue a slingshot that my father made for me to help me practice my aim. I led them both to the fence, and Rue's mouth dropped wide open.

"This is all you have? THIS? Our fences are electrified 24/7 with guards on standby in the event anyone gets any ideas," Rue said in a hushed tone, and we crawled through the hole. Rue picked up a good load of ammunition for her slingshot on the way. We spotted a flock of wild turkey, and Prim took a shot at one. It landed in the turkey's eye. This made me proud. Maybe the eye shots were in the blood. Rue took her turn and brought a few down herself. This also made me proud. They switched to get comfortable with both styles, then after they got practice in with both archery and slingshot, I handed them some knives and we went after a deer. They both threw simultaneously and one knife landed in the stomach while another took out a leg. I made the final blow with an arrow to the eye. We preserved it quickly and put it in the shack for later. We decided at about noon to go back to our house for lunch. We went back through the fence, and headed home. The girls were soon ready for the reaping. Prim wore a pretty pink and white dress with a pink headband, white flats and a pearl bracelet. Rue wore a similar outfit, but she wore a purple dress with black accents along with a purple headband that had a black flower attached to it, and black flats with black rose earrings and a purple necklace. Both of them looked cute enough, and if the need arose, both of them could pull off innocent without a hitch. As we made our way to the town square, I saw Chaff and Seeder, District Eleven's other victors, sitting next to Haymitch. Chaff and Haymitch were no doubt talking about wine, alcohol or anything related to the subject. For some reason, we were not required to be up there. Hmmm…

"Welcome, welcome to the 75th annual Hunger Games! Before the Reaping process begins, we have brought you a special video courtesy of the Capitol!" Effie said into the microphone, breaking me out of my reverie. We watched the same video that most people could quote by now, and we finally moved on to the Reaping. I thought about Gale, since this was his last year.

"Now, ladies first." It's official- I could mock this lady in my sleep.

"Katniss Everdeen," she said, her voice almost unnoticeably breaking a little as she said it. I began the silent walk to the stage, looking to find Thresh and Rue in the crowd. Before I could make it to the stage, I heard a voice that broke my heart.

"I volunteer as tribute!" Prim's voice rang out. She ran up to me, hugged me tight, then walked to the stage. All of a sudden, this inexplicable, unexplainable…sheer fury toward President Snow filled me. My head was spinning, and it was everything I could do not to jack the camera from the reaping scene and scream every obscene word in my vocabulary at the Capitol, which wasn't small. It was everything I could do not to wail out in pain at my sister, the sister I've slapped death in the face for, being reaped. I had to focus on Rue…who was talking to some boy at the moment. So _that _must be Cassius. Wonder how he's taking the news…

"Come to the Justice Building with me," is all I heard her say. Has she told him? I then finally noticed a hood on her head, shielding her hair perfectly, which was vital for her. No, she hadn't told him. Never mind that, back on track, pronto. This was just...WRONG. Everything within me screamed it. Snow would get a taste of his own blood. This madness has to end.


	10. Chariot Ride and Catching Fire

**I think we all agree on me not rambling, right? Good, I don't own the story and all that. Let's move on. **

Ch. 10- Rue POV

This was really bad. Seeing Katniss, who was such a strong person, not completely break down after what just happened was admirable. And to make matters worse, this was more than likely the last time I would ever see District Twelve or anyone in it that I loved. Since this was so, it only made sense for me to tell Cassius about the secret. But as I'm about to tell him, the worst part came. Effie announced that since Haymitch is too "unstable" to go back into the Games, him being Twelve's only male victor, the male tribute for this year would be selected from the regular reaping bowl. I started praying to any and every being out there listening that the one boy from Twelve that I cared about wouldn't be picked. Effie's hand lingered around the bowl like it does every year, and the suspense built.

"Cassius Baylor," Effie said. My breath instantly caught in my throat. So I would end up telling him sooner. I'd been staying with Thresh the whole time, so he hadn't seen me at all, as far as I know. This day was getting _better _and _better_, didn't it? And guess what came next?

"Now it is time for our reaping," said District Eleven's escort named Aquamarine ("Aqua for short," she says). Aquamarine looks surprisingly normal as far as escorts go. She has fair, almost tanned skin with brunette hair thatfalls down to her shoulder blades in natural ringlets. Today she is wearing a turquoise dress that is knee-length. Aqua was never one for wasting time, going on and on about this or that (a quality I respected) and she went straight to the important thing.

"Rue Cliff," she said, and I made the walk up there. Again it looked as if Katniss is pained, but she has managed to hold up a facial mask of impassivity, one I had never been excellent at, but was learning to master. The only way to see how she feels is through her stormy grey eyes, which right now show heartbreak. Luckily for me, Cassius and Prim were both in the Justice Building. Thresh was called up, and all the cameras minus two were on Katniss to watch her expression. The two not on her were on the two of us, so I forced myself to stare straight ahead and keep a blank expression, showing no thoughts at all. The ceremony was finally over (not soon enough) and we were escorted to our Justice Building territory. I found myself sitting next to Primrose Everdeen. We talked for a while, and fifteen minutes later we were so tight you couldn't tell we hadn't been lifelong friends. Gale came in to visit us, and he pretty much told us all of what I'd heard before. Find water, stick to the trees, find a weapon, you can win this."

"And Prim, don't you even tell me you can't use a weapon. Don't think I didn't see you shoot a turkey in the eye," Gale said, and I was only slightly surprised that Gale was out there. The thing I was more surprised about was that I never heard him that whole time. I kept an eye on the door, wondering what chance I might have of sneaking out to go tell Cassius before the train. Prim pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Go see Cassius, I know you want to," she said sort of teasing me. She said she would cover for me, and I snuck out (once again) and made my way to find Cassius and Thresh. I arrived at my destination quickly, and went in, donning a hoodie I found on the way. (Luck just seems to love me sometimes, huh?) I entered in.

"Hey Cass. I need to tell you something important before...before you go," I said and he tuned in. _Two things, actually. Now go on, tell him,_ I thought to myself.

"One, I really, really love you," I said, planting a kiss lightly on his lips.

"And two, you're the third victor of the previous Games, Rue Cliff," Cassius finished for me, and my jaw probably hit the floor the way it dropped.

"Your brother told me," he said in response to my questioning glare. My glare changed mood and target, becoming very annoyed and directing itself at Thresh. The message it sent was, "We will discuss this later." I couldn't stay any longer because the Peacekeeper almost caught me in here, so I left. I got back to Prim, who'd covered for me when a Peacekeeper came to check in on us. Nobody else came, except for a baker who must've been Peeta's father. He gave us cookies- I decided that I like him. We made our way to the train. It was more boring this time around because I'd seen it before, and the train ride consisted of strategy talk and the information that we, as in Districts Eleven and Twelve, would be presented as a team in this Games. We also discussed angles. Prim was supposed to play the innocent little girl who was so weak and shy that she couldn't hurt a fly if she tried. This reminds me of a girl, one year, Johanna Mason, who won her Games by pretending to be all weak and unprepared, then proved to be a ruthless killer when it came down to the final ten. My angle was to be innocent, yet with a dark edge covered in sugar. So basically like last time. Cassius was to be another charmer, yet in a much different light than Peeta. Peeta came off as a good boy- Cassius was supposed to play the "bad boy" angle. Somehow, I just couldn't see him pulling that off. (We're talking Cassius- the one who's SUPER sweet when he's around me? Bad boy, huh? Yeah to the right.) But the thing is, I think to the Capitol, he could. Thresh's angle was to be the same as last time. Stoic, deadly and silent. I am determined, all four of us are coming out. And it looks like Katniss is too.

Thresh POV

After a while we got to the Remake Center, where we'd be until the chariot rides tonight. I really didn't want to be there- not back in the arena. The day went by too quickly, and I found myself in the chariot with Rue. It wasn't half as miserable as last time, because my outfit didn't look hideous or ridiculous. I was wearing a dark blue skin-tight jumpsuit with a black cape flowing behind me. On my head was the same crown I wore last time, but painted pitch black, which made it look singed. Burned. How ironic...

Rue's outfit was adorable, yet almost dark with some hints of glam. Rue had on a black cami under a dark blue cowgirl shirt (that's what I choose to call it) crop-top style with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, black tight overalls that were silky in texture over that. She was also wearing denim black short shorts (no looking, Cassius), fishnet tights and jet black combat boots that came up to her knees. For accessories, she had a black rhinestone-studded choker loosely around her neck, a netted onesie fingerless glove, and her hair was done up in two high puffs, accented by two black sparkly barettes. I noticed that both of us had a dark look about ourselves. I looked powerful (not vicious, do not confuse the two) and Rue was adorable as usual, yet had an eerie sense of being potentially dangerous.

Cassius had on black from head to toe with a black cape on behind him, looking almost charred. His hair was ruffled in a "bad-boy" fashion to support his angle, and that angle looked surprisingly good on him, considering that this was the boy that blushed like a fool everytime he saw my little sister. (Not like I didn't know.)

Primrose, on the other hand, was the complete and total opposite. She had on a pure white pixie dress that came just to her knees, and soft white ballet slippers on her feet. A pair of medium-sized white angel wings graced her back. Her blonde hair cascaded down prettily on her back. The whole outfit screamed angelic innocence. As the time drew nearer to the chariot ride, our chariots were being hitched tightly together. A few minutes later, Cinna came and lit Cassius and Primrose on fire. At first, I wondered why he only lit them. I found out soon enough. We got out there and the Capitolites were already on their feet seeing Prim and Cassius, angel and bad boy, both on fire. But what happened next was what did it.

Rue and Prim caught hands, and I clenched onto Rue's hand. The fire from Prim started spreading to Rue, going down her back all the way down to her boots. The fire from Rue went straight to my cape, which flamed in the wind. All four of us were now on fire. The audience loved the stunt, yet all of the tributes, the Districts, even President Snow- they knew what this meant. We caught the fire. This was so that the Districts could catch the fire and we could rebel against the Capitol. I literally felt President Snow's icy glare as we entered the circle, and I looked him dead in the eye and smirked smugly right in his face. Then I flipped him off. Well, he needed to know that snow has no place around a fire.

"Welcome, tributes. We thank and admire you for your courage and your sacrifice. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor," President Snow said, going through the same spiel he does every year. After that, the chariots begin to pull off into the Training Center. Our fire never stopped.

"What do we do now?" Rue asked me. There was one thing that was guaranteed to be drawn from the audience- that is sympathy. Grabs sponsors like crazy. So I tickled Rue a little, and she released an adorable laugh that made the audience coo sympathetically. Rue and Prim remained inncoent and cute, and I stayed silent while Cassius was signaling for some of the cuter Capitol girls to call him. Apparently, he is now a babe magnet. We entered the training center.

"Good job, kiddos," Katniss said to the three younger ones.

"You did awesome, honey," she said, kissing me lightly on the lips. (Me likey.) I noticed Haymitch and Chaff talking, trying to decide whether to get alcohol or moonshine. To me, either way it's liquor, and it's still nasty as only God knows what. The second they showed any implications of getting drunk, we headed straight to our floors. This year, Eleven and Twelve had four rooms on the same floor. I found my room, opened the door, sleepily changed into some comfortable clothes, and crashed on the bed. I'd need all the sleep I could get.

**So, I'm sorry I haven't been a good girl and updated, but I've had my reasons. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. **


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